


compromise...

by startswithhope



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Coda-The Presidential Suite, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Mild Angst, Spoilers, They love each other so much, but weddings are stressful, marriage talk, these two are long overdue for a talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startswithhope/pseuds/startswithhope
Summary: This is a little coda to “The Presidential Suite”. Conversations need to be had. And there’s one thing Patrick needs.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 38
Kudos: 297





	compromise...

It’s been a few hours since he left to see Alexis, her text of crying emojis and turtles somehow making sense to David and sending him out the door with a quick kiss and a promise to explain everything when he returns.

Relief had washed over him as soon as the door had shut, quickly followed by guilt, guilt at being relieved that the conversation he knows they need to have found another excuse to be pushed farther down the road. It’s already been pushed too far. He’s been pushed too far. And he knows he shoulders a lot of the blame for being too passive aggressive, for not communicating sooner about the little things that have been bothering him with how their wedding is being planned. He’s let his voice get lost and now it’s coming out in sharp words and frustrated tones.

He hates being mad at David. It’s the absolute worst feeling in the world. And as he’s sat here, waiting for him to return, he’s finally worked up the courage to do whatever it takes to fix things. He just needs to find the right words so he doesn’t trample all over David’s dreams.

His jaw clenches at the sound of David’s key in the lock and he pushes himself up from the couch, wanting to meet him with a hug. It’s more that a want, really, it’s a need. He needs their shared touch to ground him, center things back to what’s important so he doesn’t somehow manage to fuck things up further.

Patrick halts a few steps away when he sees David’s face. He’s absolutely crestfallen and his eyes are red-rimmed from crying, causing Patrick’s heart to clench painfully in his chest. Before he can find his voice to ask what’s wrong, David stumbles forward and practically folds himself around Patrick’s body. An unsteady breath escapes Patrick’s nose as his arms find a way to pull David in even closer, wanting desperately to absorb some of the pain from David’s body.

“They broke up. They love each other so much, but it’s over.”

“Ted and Alexis?”

David’s “yeah” is muffled from where he’s buried his face in Patrick’s shoulder. 

“Is she…?

“Devastated? Yes. But…”

“But?”

There’s not an immediate response, but David’s grip on Patrick’s back loosens a fraction and the pressure on his shoulder lessens as David lifts his head. When he pulls back enough for Patrick to see his face, there’s a myriad of emotions at work there and Patrick finds himself feeling a bit off balance.

“She said something about how they made each other better and how much they’d helped each other grow.”

Tears are starting to well up in David’s eyes, but Patrick doesn’t want to interrupt, so he just shifts one hand up so he’s cupping the back of David’s neck and lets soft passes of his thumb over his skin communicate a bit of comfort.

“And it hit me how much she’s changed. How much we’ve all changed. And then as I was walking home, I was thinking about our wedding and I finally really heard what you’d said earlier. And you’re right. We’re not these people. I’m caught up in all the things I used to want and I’m fucking everything up and I’m sorry and please tell me you still want to marry me because I know I can be a lot but I love you and we can pare things down and…”

The relief Patrick feels this time is completely guilt free.

“David, David…stop.”

Unraveling his arm from around his back, he finds David’s cheeks with his hands and stops his rambling monologue with a firm kiss. David’s breath comes out in a rush against his mouth, but soon he’s clutching at Patrick’s shoulders with his fingers and kissing Patrick back just as forcefully. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Patrick mumbles between kisses, “I love you.” 

David pulls back at that and his face registers absolute confusion.

“What are you sorry for?”

“David. This isn’t all your fault. I should have spoken up earlier. It’s just, you have all these dreams about your perfect wedding and I…I just have one.”

“One?”

He shouldn’t be nervous to say this, but he is. It feels too big. Or not big enough. But it’s his truth.

“All I dream about, David, is being your husband. That’s it. If I had my way, we’d go to bed tonight and tomorrow I’d wake up with a ring on my finger and it would be the first day of our future. I don’t need anything else.”

David’s hands have come up to cover his face and Patrick’s stomach suddenly feels like lead. Did he not word that right? Oh god, how can he explain this so David will understand? 

But then David drops his hands and that same overwhelmed expression Patrick had seen when he’d proposed has taken over David’s face and Patrick knows that he’s been understood. 

“That’s unfairly romantic and I’m going to need a minute to compose myself, so just stand there and think about what you’ve just said while I do.”

Unable and unwilling to hold back his smile, Patrick lifts his hands, intending to place them on David’s chest, but finds himself being swatted away.

“I said I need a minute!”

“Got it. I’ll just stand here then.”

David’s smiling now, too, but in that way that he does when he’s really trying not to, making everything go all crooked and adorable.

“Okay. Okay…I can make this work. There’s a courthouse in Elmdale, right? If we leave now, we can go by the tailor and pick up our suits and make it there in time for some county judge or clerk or whoever to marry us. You’ve already gotten the marriage license, so that’s all we need.”

Patrick raises his hand, which earns him an immediate eye roll.

“Can I talk now?”

David answers with a quick, somewhat flippant wave of his hand, but he’s not trying to hold back his smile anymore now.

“David. What I need isn’t what you want. We can have a beautiful ceremony and some of the things you’ve been dreaming about. We both just need to…”

“I swear to God, Patrick, if you say compromise, we are getting divorced.”

Tossing his head back on a laugh, Patrick grabs at David’s waist to pull him in close.

“Fine. We need to…collaborate…find a happy medium…split the difference…”

David’s whole body does a little shake, but Patrick doesn’t let go. He’s never letting go.

“That’s enough,” David snaps, playfully, but still with a bit of his signature edge. “But, I do want us to do one thing.”

“Okay?”

David’s trying to step out of the circle of Patrick’s arms and he grumbles in protest, but he reluctantly lets go, curious as to what David wants to do. He watches as David looks down at his hand and flexes his fingers before pulling the second ring off his ring finger to hold it up between them. It only takes Patrick a second to catch on, but his heart was a beat ahead and is already racing away at full speed in his chest.

“Give me your hand, please.”

Wordlessly, Patrick reaches towards David’s outstretched hand and can feel the first sting of tears as the man he loves slides one of his engagement rings onto his finger. When David’s eyes meet his, there’s a strength there, an assuredness, that nearly knocks Patrick back onto his heels. This man, this amazing, beautiful, infuriating man, he knows him. He gets him. And by some crazy twist of fate, loves him just as much as he’s loved in return.

“Wow, that looks good on you.”

Looking down at his finger, Patrick has to clear the emotion from his throat before he can speak.

“It’s perfect.”

David’s fingers give Patrick’s hand a little tug and he lets himself be pulled into his arms, eagerly welcoming the kiss waiting for him. All he can think about is how much David tastes like home.

Leaning back from the kiss, he meets David’s eyes and gives him a pointed look.

“I’m never giving this back, you know.”

“You better not.”


End file.
